Association football
Association football, also known as football or soccer, is a sport where teams of 11 attempt to kick a soccer ball into a goal. It is played by over 250 million people around the globe from over 200 countries. This makes it the most popular sport in the world. Internationally, the sport is governed by the International Federation of Association Football, or FIFA, for its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Football Association, which holds the FIFA World Cup every 4 years. History Welp, soccer has a history, so we should start somewhere. I think it started sometime in the 1100's or something, and then blahblahblahblah World Cup, FIFA, Olympics, and other stuff. What, you expected a longer section? DEAL WITH IT. Rules There are only seventeen main laws of soccer. This section is unfinished. Help meee. The pitch The pitch should be between 100-130 yards in length and 50-100 yards in width. The long lines are touchlines, and the two short lines are goal lines. The pitch is divided in half by a line where the "kickoff" occurs to start the match. There is a 6-yard box surrounding each goal known as the goal area. There is also an 18-yard box known as the penalty area, also around each goal. The goalposts are 8 yards apart and 8 feet high. The ball The ball must have a circumference between 27 and 28 inches and weigh between 14 and 16 ounces. The teams Up to 11 players are on the field per team at all times, including the goalkeeper. Depending on the match, between 3 and 7 substitutes can be used. Clothing Soccer shirts, shorts, shin guards, long socks, and soccer cleats. The goalkeepers wear uniforms of different colors. The referee The referee's decisions are final. The referee can issue verbal warnings, yellow card warnings, or a red card, which results in immediately being kicked out of the game. The referee is also a timekeeper, and controls restarts after stoppages of play. Linesmen The linesmen, or assistant referees, watch the ball to see when it goes out of bounds, and lets the referee know which team takes the goal kick, throw-in, or corner kick. They also watch for players being offside. Duration 2 halves of 45 minutes, with a 15-minute break in between. Starting The team that wins a coin toss starts the game at the center of the field. The opponent starts the second half at the same spot. All players must be at least 10 yards away from the kickoff. Ball in and out of play The ball is out of play when it crosses any of the touchlines or goal lines, or if the referee stops play. It's in play at all other times. Scoring The entire ball has to cross the goal line in order to count as a goal. If an player accidentally knocks the ball into its team's goal, it still counts as an own goal for the opposing team. Offside The law states that players in an offside position when the ball is touched or played by a teammate, may not become actively involved in the play. A player is in an offside position when he or she is in the opponents' half of the pitch and closer to the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-to-last opponent (usually the last defensive player in front of the goalkeeper). Fouls Free kicks can be given to a team if the opposition has committed a foul, judged by the referee. Free kicks A direct free kick is awarded when a player commits a deliberate foul outside of the penalty box (for offsides, etc.), an indirect free kick is awarded. However, if the offense was committed by the defending team within their own penalty area, the kick becomes a penalty kick. Penalties Throw-ins Goal kicks Corner kicks Gallery File:Socc.png File:Socc1.png File:Socc2.png File:Socc3.png File:Socc4.png File:Socc5.png File:Socc6.png File:Socc7.png File:Socc8.jpg File:Socc9.png File:Socc10.png File:Socc12.png File:Socc13.png File:Socc14.png File:Socc15.png File:Socc16.png File:Socc17.png File:Socc18.jpg File:Socc19.jpg File:Socc11.png Category:Randomness Category:Football Category:Sports